Flora de comunidades de macroalgas lóticas de fragmentos florestais remanescentes da região noroeste do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Foram amostrados 17 riachos, em 12 fragmentos durante a estação seca (junho a agosto de 2007 e de 2008). Foram identificadas 16 espécies de macroalgas, pertencentes a 14 gêneros. Cyanophyta e Chlorophyta foram os grupos mais representativos (44 e 38%, respectivamente), seguidos por Rhodophyta (12%) e Heterokontophyta (6%). O número global de espécies foi baixo, fato atribuído à predominância de substrato areno-argiloso (65%) e de trechos sombreados (53%). A maioria das espécies (69%) ocorreu exclusivamente em um único riacho, padrão frequentemente observado para macroalgas lóticas. Vaucheria pseudogeminata foi reportada pela primeira vez para o Brasil e Trichocoleus sociatus para a região noroeste do Estado de São Paulo. Comparando a flora de macroalgas encontrada com aquelas de outras regiões/biomas do Estado de São Paulo, notou-se maior semelhança com Floresta Tropical (56% espécies em comum), conforme esperado, por ser o bioma mais próximo e composto também por Floresta Estacional Semidecidual.

Uma área de relevante interesse biológico, porém pouco conhecida: a Reserva Florestal do Morro Grande

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Anurofauna de remanescentes de floresta Atlântica do município de São José do Barreiro, estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Lianas de uma floresta estacional semidecidual, Município de Paulo de Faria, Norte do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Lianas da estação ecológica do Noroeste Paulista, São José do Rio Preto/Mirassol, SP, Brasil

Lianas são membros característicos das florestas tropicais, onde são abundantes e de grande importância ecológica. Entretanto, têm sido negligenciadas em estudos florísticos e fitossociológicos. Este trabalho apresenta as espécies de lianas da Estação Ecológica do Noroeste Paulista (EENP) e as compara àquelas encontradas em outros fragmentos florestais. A EENP (20º48'36'' S e 49º22'50'' W) está a 468 m de altitude e abrange área de 168,63 ha, composta de três fragmentos de vegetação descontínua, classificada como floresta estacional semidecidual, entremeadas por pastagens. As amostras de lianas foram coletadas realizando caminhadas na periferia e no interior da mata. Foram identificadas 105 espécies; delas, 99 são Magnoliopsida (60 gêneros e 22 famílias); e seis, Liliopsida (três gêneros e três famílias). As famílias mais ricas em espécies representaram 59% do total das lianas. A análise do dendrograma de similaridade mostrou que esta é baixa entre a Floresta Atlântica de São Paulo e aquelas localizadas no interior. Situação semelhante foi observada por outros autores na análise de similaridade com espécies de porte arbóreo, e também, entre florestas do interior e Floresta Atlântica.

Macronutrients transference by litter production in the Morro do diabo forest (Pontal do Paranapanema region, state of Sao Paulo)

The quantities of macronutrients transfer to soil was estimated by the monthly concentrations of mineral elements in the litter produced, over a period of 2 years in the semideciduous forest of Morro do Diabo (Pontal do Paranapanema), in the State of São Paulo (appr. 22-degrees-31'S, 52-degrees-10'W). The transfer of macronutrients to the soil, through litter, was estimated in 426,95 kg.ha-1.yr-1. Nitrogen was the element with the greatest mobilization, with 183,85 kg.ha-1.yr-1 transferred. The sequence of the quantities of macronutrients transferred was: N > Ca > K > Mg > S > P.

Phytosociological studies in the morro do diabo forest (Pontal do Paranapanema, SP), Brazil

Results are given of a phytosociological study of a forest located in the Morro do Diabo State Park. in the county of Teodoro Sampaio (22 degrees 31'S, 52 degrees 10'W), Pontal do Paranapanema region, state of São Paulo. The point-centered quarter method, using 300 sampling points, was used establishing 3 trails of 100 sampling points each, 10 m interdistant. All woody vegetation with a breast height diameter of 5 cm or more were samplied. Three distinct ecotopes could be identified in the forest: the lower, thc slope and the peak, which were analised separately.The families that presented the greatest numbers of genera, species and individuals were Leguminosae, Euphorbiaceae and Myrtaceae, followed by Rutaceae, Lauraceae, Meliaceae and Moracea. A total of 104 species, 85 genera and 37 families were sampled by the phytosociological survey. The relative sociological position of each plant family or species varied according to ecotope.

Succession and management of tropical dry forests in the Americas: Review and new perspectives

Understanding tropical forest succession is critical for the development of tropical forest conservation strategies worldwide, given that tropical secondary forests can be considered the forests of the future. Tropical dry forests (TDF) are among the most threatened tropical ecosystems, there are more secondary forests and forest restoration efforts that require a better understanding of successional processes. The main goal of this synthesis for this special issue on the ecology and management of tropical dry forests in the Americas is to present a summarized review of the current knowledge of the ecology and management implications associated to TDF succession. We explore specific issues associated to tropical dry forest succession with emphasis on the use of chronosequences, plant diversity and composition, plant phenology and remote sensing, pollination, and animal-plant interactions; all under the integrating umbrella of ecosystem succession. We also emphasize the need to conduct socio-ecological research to understand changes in land-use history and its effects on succession and forest regeneration of TDF. We close this paper with some thoughts and ideas associated with the strong need for an integrating dimension not considered until today: the role of cyberinfrastructure and eco-informatics as a tool to support sound conservation, management and understanding of TDF in the Americas. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Solar energy budgets in central Amazonian ecosystems: a comparison between natural forest and bare soil areas

In order to estimate the deforestation consequences on the actual solar energy budget of the Central Amazon Region, two ecosystems of different characteristics were compared. The present conditions of the region were represented by a typical 'terra firme' forest cover located at INPA's Ducke Forest Reserve, where the measurements necessary to evaluate its solar energy balance were carried out. The second ecosystem, simulating a deforested area, was represented by an area about 1.0 ha without natural vegetation and situated in the same Reserve. In this area lysimeters were placed, two of them filled with yellow latosol and two others with quartzose sand soil. Both soils are representative soils in the region. Their water balances were taken into account as well as the other parameters necessary to compute the solar energy balances. The results showed that water loss by evaporation was about 41.8% of the total precipitation in the yellow latosol lysimeters and about 26.4% for the quartzose sand ones. For the forest cover it was estimated an evapotranspiration of 67.9% of the rainfall amount. In relation to solar energy balance calculated for the forest cover, it was found that 83.1% of the total energy incoming to this ecosystem was used by the evapotranspiration process, while the remaining of 16.9% can be taken as sensible heat. For bare soils, 55.1% and 31.8% of the total energy were used as latent heat by yellow latosol and quartzose sand soils, respectively. So, the remaining amounts of 44.9% and 68.2% were related to sensible heat and available to atmospheric air heating of these ecosystems. Such results suggest that a large deforestation of the Amazon Region would have direct consequences on their water and solar radiation balances, with an expected change on the actual climatic conditions of the region. © 1993.

Assessing the above-ground biomass of a complex tropical rainforest using a canopy crane

Current estimates of the total biomass in tropical rainforests vary considerably; this is due in large part to the different approaches that are used to calculate biomass. In this study we have used a canopy crane to measure the tree architectures in a 1 ha plot of complex mesophyll vine forest at Cape Tribulation, Australia. Methods were developed to measure and calculate the crown and stem biomass of six major species of tree and palm (Alstonia scholaris (Apocynaceae), Cleistanthus myrianthus (Euphorbiaceae), Endiandra microneura (Lauraceae), Myristica insipida (Myristicaceae), Acmena graveolens (Myrtaceae), Normanbya normanbyi (Arecaceae)) using the unique access provided by the crane. This has allowed the first non-destructive biomass estimate to be carried out for a forest of this type. Allometric equations which relate tree biomass to the measured variable 'diameter at breast height' were developed for the six species, and a general equation was also developed for trees on the plot. The general equation was similar in form to equations developed for tropical rainforests in Brazil and New Guinea. The species equations were applied at the level of families, the generalized equation was applied to the remaining species which allowed the biomass of a total of 680 trees to be calculated. This has provided a current estimate of 270 t ha-1 above-ground biomass at the Australian Canopy Crane site; a value comparable to lowland rainforests in Panama and French Guiana. Using the same tree database seven alternative allometric equations (literature equations for tropical rainforests) were used to calculate the site biomass, the range was large (252-446 t ha-1) with only three equations providing estimates within 34 t ha-1 (12.5%) of the site value. Our use of multiple species-specific allometric equations has provided a site estimate only slightly larger (1%) than that obtained using allometric equations developed specifically for tropical wet rainforests. We have demonstrated that it is possible to non-destructively measure the biomass in a complex forest using an on-site canopy crane. In conjunction the development of crown maps and a detailed tree architecture database allows changes in forest structure to be followed quantitatively. © 2007 Ecological Society of Australia.

Biodiversity Can Help Prevent Malaria Outbreaks in Tropical Forests

Background: Plasmodium vivax is a widely distributed, neglected parasite that can cause malaria and death in tropical areas. It is associated with an estimated 80-300 million cases of malaria worldwide. Brazilian tropical rain forests encompass host- and vector-rich communities, in which two hypothetical mechanisms could play a role in the dynamics of malaria transmission. The first mechanism is the dilution effect caused by presence of wild warm-blooded animals, which can act as dead-end hosts to Plasmodium parasites. The second is diffuse mosquito vector competition, in which vector and non-vector mosquito species compete for blood feeding upon a defensive host. Considering that the World Health Organization Malaria Eradication Research Agenda calls for novel strategies to eliminate malaria transmission locally, we used mathematical modeling to assess those two mechanisms in a pristine tropical rain forest, where the primary vector is present but malaria is absent. Methodology/Principal Findings: The Ross-Macdonald model and a biodiversity-oriented model were parameterized using newly collected data and data from the literature. The basic reproduction number (R0) estimated employing Ross-Macdonald model indicated that malaria cases occur in the study location. However, no malaria cases have been reported since 1980. In contrast, the biodiversity-oriented model corroborated the absence of malaria transmission. In addition, the diffuse competition mechanism was negatively correlated with the risk of malaria transmission, which suggests a protective effect provided by the forest ecosystem. There is a non-linear, unimodal correlation between the mechanism of dead-end transmission of parasites and the risk of malaria transmission, suggesting a protective effect only under certain circumstances (e.g., a high abundance of wild warm-blooded animals). Conclusions/Significance: To achieve biological conservation and to eliminate Plasmodium parasites in human populations, the World Health Organization Malaria Eradication Research Agenda should take biodiversity issues into consideration. © 2013 Laporta et al.

Padrões fenológicos de espécies arbóreas em um fragmento de floresta semidecídua no estado de São Paulo: definição de padrões sazonais e comparação entre anos

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Estrutura da comunidade de trepadeiras de dois fragmentos de florestas estacional semidecidual em diferentes estágios de conservação

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Diversidade de mamíferos de médio e grande porte e sua relação com o mosaico vegetacional na fazenda experimental Edgárdia, Unesp, Botucatu/SP

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Efeito de borda em um fragmento de floresta estacional semidecidual no interior do Estado de São Paulo

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)